In addition to providing a higher quality of forensic science services provided to the state of tennessee, the new instrumentation and software requests by TBI will increase the labs ability to…

This $431,797 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.742 - Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program) will enable the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration to enhance the quality, timeliness, and capabilities of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services across the state.

Key products and services to be delivered include: purchasing new scientific instrumentation and software to increase the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) forensic analysis capabilities and reduce case backlogs; distributing 60 scene investigation gear bags to county medical examiners and death investigators; and funding professional certifications, microscopes, and camera upgrades for the TBI. These improvements are expected to increase forensic processing efficiency, reduce administrative burdens on medical examiners, and ultimately help address the state's forensic science and medicolegal investigation needs.

In addition to providing a higher quality of forensic science services provided to the state of tennessee, the new instrumentation and software requests by TBI will increase the labs ability to process cases more efficiently as they will increase tbis capabilities, require less analysis time, and require less examiner time for troubleshooting. Due to the increased efficiency provided with this new instrumentation and software, an increase in case throughput will naturally occur thus allowing the examiners additional time to examine and reduce the backlogged cases. Utilization of inferior instrumentation for case work can not only jeopardize the results of the case but can also jeopardize the laboratories accreditation and any pending prosecution. Another problem is easing the administrative burden on the state medicolegal death investigators, as well as improving the tools available to the county medical examiners, the oscme will distribute sixty (60) gear bags to county medical examiners/investigators across the state approximately twenty (20) per grand division. Purchases of a nitrogen genator (parker N2-240) update, gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer with auto sampler towers, scientific certifications, sterimicroscopes and cameras, and upgrade operating system of zeiss EVO10 for tennessee bureau of investigation. County medical examiners and medicolegal death investigators need robust scene bags containing equipment that the counties DON't otherwise provide but need to meet guidelines for death investigation as set forth in the national institutes of justice publication "death investigation: a guide for the scene investigator. The outcome would be to reduce the backlog work at the tennessee bureau of investigation, along with reducing administrative burden to the county medical examiners.